NR #1995-042: For Immediate Release
Dr. John E. Kim Appointed President of World's Largest Reformed Seminary in
Seoul, Korea
by Darrell Todd Maurina, Press Officer
United Reformed News Service
(May 26, 1995) URNS - Dr. John E. Kim, senior pastor of the 2800-member Los
Angeles Christian Presbyterian Church, has accepted the presidency of
Chongshin Theological Seminary in the South Korean capital city of Seoul.
Founded in 1901 in Pyongyang, now the capital of North Korea, Chongshin
Seminary was closed by the Japanese occupation government in 1938 due to the
seminary's protests against enforced worship of the Japanese Emperor as part
of Shinto religious rituals. At 1900 students, Chongshin is now the largest
Reformed or Presbyterian seminary in the world, the largest theological
institution in South Korea, and one of the largest seminaries of any
theological orientation in the world.
Kim will also serve as president of Chongshin University, an affiliated
school with 1200 students. His new position propels him into a top leadership
position of the Hapdong Presbyterian Church, at 2.5 million members one of
the largest denominations in South Korea's rapidly-growing Christian
community, which currently accounts for almost a quarter of South Korea's
total population of 40 million.
Kim said he accepted the Chongshin presidency "because of the immense
challenge" and that his goals include "making Chongshin University and
Seminary a center for Reformed theological studies." Kim's duties as
president will include administration, limited teaching, and fundraising for
a $13 million building project.
While the presidency of Chongshin Seminary is a major promotion for Kim, it
is by no means his first position of prominence. While pastoring in Los
Angeles, Kim built his church up from no members in 1976 to become the second
largest congregation of the Christian Reformed denomination. Kim also founded
International Theological Seminary, a Los Angeles-based seminary largely
serving students from third-world countries. In 1992, Kim worked together
with Dr. Luder Whitlock, president of Reformed Theological Seminary in
Jackson, Mississippi, Dr. Robert Godfrey, president of Westminster
Theological Seminary, and Rev. Sam Sung Lee, the moderator of the Hapdong
Presbyterian Church, to form the International Reformed Fellowship (IRF), a
conservative ecumenical organization organized as an alternative to the World
Council of Churches, the World Alliance of Reformed Churches, and the
Reformed Ecumenical Council - an action for which Kim and Godfrey, both
members of the CRC, were sharply criticized.
Later in 1992, Kim led a secession from the CRC, taking with him a number of
other ethnic Korean congregations totalling over forty percent of the CRC's
Korean membership and becoming moderator of the newly formed Christian
Presbyterian Church. Since seceding from the CRC, Kim's congregation has
almost doubled in membership, growing from 1440 members at the time of the
secession to 2800 members currently; the denomination now has over fifty
pastors serving 20 local churches.
Although Kim will no longer be living in the United States, he does continue
to have a concern for other Reformed denominations in the United States and
elsewhere. "I would like to make our university an interrelated part of the
IRF movement," said Kim, with a goal to "make Reformed churches more biblical
and evangelical."
According to Rev. Jonathan Lee, education pastor at Los Angeles Christian
Presbyterian church, Kim's departure for Korea came as a complete surprise.
"Even the key elders and close friends of Dr. Kim only found out a couple of
months before," said Lee. "Only in the middle of February did we find out
that he had applied and was a strong candidate."
"His leaving has affected a lot of aspects of life at our church since he
was a charismatic leader," said Lee. "Personally we feel left out and empty,
but we understand in God's will this is something we have to do. The
congregation thinks of this as almost sending out a missionary to Korea."
According to Lee, Los Angeles CPC has followed Kim's recommendation to call
Rev. Young Jin Kim, who has served since 1993 as senior pastor of Bethel
Korean Church in Baltimore, Maryland, and was previously head assistant
pastor at Los Angeles CPC for two years. "We don't foresee any major change
here, International Theological Seminary will be still supported by our
church, Christian Presbyterian Church will be still our denomination, and the
CPC denomination is already making plans to receive more ministers."
Cross-References to Related Articles:
#1993-013: Koreans Lead Formation of Conservative Alternative to Reformed
Ecumenical Council, World Council of Churches; Pastor of Second Largest
Christian Reformed Church Elected Co-President; Current Membership 3.75
Million, Rapid Growth Projected
#1993-033: Koreans Call it Quits from Christian Reformed Denomination; John
E. Kim Leads 15 Churches, CRC's Second-Largest Church to Secession; First
General Synod of Korean Reformed Presbyterian Church in America to Meet in
October, Expected to Have at Least 9 Classes, 55 Congregations
#1993-043: Christian Presbyterian Church Takes Form as Many Koreans Depart
Systematically from Christian Reformed Denomination
#1993-044: First General Assembly of Christian Presbyterian Church Enrolls
41.4% of Christian Reformed Koreans
#1994-014: Koreans in Christian Presbyterian Church Hold First Annual "CPC
Day," Plan for Denominational Growth
Contact List:
Dr. Robert Godfrey, Corresponding Secretary, International Reformed
Fellowship
1725 Bear Valley Parkway, Escondido, CA 92027 * O: (619) 480-8474 * H:
(619) 741-1635 * FAX: (619) 480-0252
Dr. John E. Kim, President, Chongshin Theological Seminary
31-3 Dong-Jak Kuq, Sadang-Dong, Seoul, KOREA * FAX: 011-822-536-2602
Rev. Jonathan Lee, Education Pastor, Los Angeles Christian Presbyterian
Church
2241 N. Eastern Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90032 * O: (213) 221-9531 * FAX:
(213) 221-0345
Dr. Luder Whitlock, President, Reformed Theological Seminary in Jackson
2201 Heritage Hill Dr., Jackson, MS 39221 * O: (601) 362-8432 * H: (601)
922-4988
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